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NHL will reportedly cancel Winter Classic

After cancelling all November games last week, it appears as though the NHL will announce on Thursday it is cancelling this year's Winter Classic as well. The game was slated for Jan. 1, 2013, to be played between the Maples Leafs and Red Wings.

By Aaron Torres
Justin K. Aller

The NHL lockout appears to have claimed another victim, as ESPN New York is reporting that on Thursday the league will cancel its annual Winter Classic game.

The game has become a staple of the hockey regular season, pitting two teams in an outdoor venue annually on Jan. 1. This year's game was slated to be played at Michigan Stadium between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.

However, with the league mired in a lockout, it appears as though the 2013 game will be cancelled. According to the ESPN New York report, a big factor in Thursday's decision could come from TV, since HBO needs to know by mid-November whether the game will be played, to prepare their 24/7 documentary crew for the event.

Sadly, the Winter Classic is just the latest casualty of the lockout.

Last week the league announced that all games through the end of November had been cancelled, and as things stand there are no scheduled talks between the league and the player's association going forward.